OF  THE  SEA 


i-NRLF 


D      D  L  Ll 


LIBRARY 

OF    THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


of  ti)c 


of  tljt 


CHARLES    KEELER 


&an  f  rancisro : 
3@.   Eobfttson 
1902 


Ctpyrigbttd,  1902 
By  CHARLES  KEELKR 


1VU3N3S 


Printed  by  The  Stanley-Taylor  Company 
San  Francisco 


MWliam 

Painter  and  poet  and  friend, 

Lover  of  live-oaks  and  hills, 
Little  my  songs  can  lend 

To  a  life  that  with  beauty  thrills. 
Through  you  have  I  seen  the  grove 

In  the  golden  twilight  of  dreams, 
The  peak  where  the  storm-cloud  strove 

With  the  sun's  triumphant  beams; 
And  I  would  it  were  given  to  me 

To  return  e'en  a  tithe  of  the  boon 
In  my  songs  of  the  masterful  sea, 

In  my  strains  of  its  mystical  rune. 
I  would  take  you  afar  o'er  the  deep 

To  the  haunts  of  the  rude  sea  kings, 
To  realms  where  the  storm-mists  sweep, 

To  the  zones  where  the  petrel  wings! 
But  I  know  in  your  musings  alone 

In  the  frigate  of  art  you  are  free 
To  sail  where  a  splendor  has  shown 

That  ne'er  was  on  land  or  on  sea ! 


118970 


list  of  titles 

An  Invocation  .     . I 

An  Ocean  Lullaby 14 

A  Song  of  Bering  Sea 15 

Pull  the  Line  Home 16 

Storm  Along 18 

Rough  Weather  Chanty 19 

Cleaning    Ship 20 

Jack  on  Shore 21 

Homeward   Ho 23 

Down  in  the  Doldrums 25 

Black   Sailors'    Chanty 28 

Haul  Away  Joe 30 

South   Australia 32 

My  Jennie  of  Katoomba 34 

The  Son  of  a  Jackaroo 35 

Song  of  the  Sundowner 37 

Ballad  of  Minnie  Ramsay 39 

The  Voyage  of  Ktipe 46 

A  Song  for  Little  Mata 56 

Leaving  Honolulu 57 


KUartDrrcr's  &onff0  ot  ttjf  &c a 


A  WORD  ON  THE  SONGS. 

The  charm  of  the  sea  is  ever  new.  Its  songs 
are  ever  in  the  making.  It  is  a  fresh  surprise  for 
each  one  who  ventures  upon  its  illimitable  way. 

In  the  bits  of  lyric  contained  in  this  slender 
volume  I  have  sought  to  catch  fleeting  glimpses  of 
ocean  life  and  of  sailor  men  in  many  parts  of  the 
Pacific,  from  the  Russian  voyager  in  Bering  Sea 
to  the  Tahitian  fisherman  braving  the  perils  of  the 
deep  in  his  open  canoe,  and  his  still  more  daring 
kinsmen  who,  some  six  hundred  years  ago,  voy 
aged  over  thousands  of  miles  of  unknown  water 
and  discovered  New  Zealand. 

Only  on  deep-water  sailing  vessels  do  the 
sailors  still  sing  chanties.  When  a  ship  has  been 
laboring  through  a  storm  under  shortened  canvas 
and  the  wind  abates,  the  skipper,  anxious  to  make 
a  quick  voyage,  gives  the  command  to  set  more 
sail.  Men  are  ordered  aloft  to  free  the  lashings 
and  the  heavy  spar  must  then  be  hoisted  to  its 
place.  The  full  watch  take  hold  of  the  halyard, 
a  rope  on  which  the  spar  is  suspended,  and  which 


flfliorn  on  tfje 


passes  through  a  pulley  on  the  deck.  Then  the 
leader  of  the  crew  commences  a  chanty.  All 
hands  join  in  the  refrain,  pulling  in  unison  at 
every  accented  syllable  of  the  chorus.  With  the 
wind  humming  and  whistling  through  the  rigging, 
the  ship  tossing  in  the  great  ocean  rollers,  and  the 
muffled  thud  of  crashing  waves  upon  its  sides,  the 
setting  is  a  wildly  picturesque  one  for  the  stirring 
rhythm  of  such  well-known  chanties  as  "Blow  the 
Man  Down,"  "Ranzo,"  or  "Whiskey  For  My 
Johnnie,"  sung  with  lusty  voices  by  the  crew 
bending  in  their  sou'westers .  over  the  wet  rope. 
In  a  few  chanties  of  this  collection,  notably 
"South  Australia,"  "Storm  Along,"  and  "Haul 
Away,  Joe,"  I  have  preserved  the  refrain  of  the 
sailors,  and  in  all  of  them  I  have  aimed  to  give 
something  of  the  spirit  of  the  men  who  go  down 
to  the  sea  in  ships. 

The  few  dialect  verses  of  Australia  attempt  to 
portray  some  types  of  colonial  life  which  one 
often  encounters  at  sea  as  well  as  ashore.  In  all 
the  collection  I  have  depicted  only  such  incidents 
or  men  as  I  have  encountered  in  sea  roving  on  the 
Pacific.  C.  K. 


of  tljc 


flfllanlimr'g  &ona#  of  t&e  &ea 


AN  INVOCATION  TO  THE  S 

<? 

The  sea!     The  sea! 

V  o" 

Who  loveth  not  its  blue  sublimity  ?  X^ 

Its  lips  implore,  with  endless  moan, 
The  wanderer  to  strands  unknown! 
Aye,  'tis  the  cry  of  Fate,  forever  calling 

To  men  and  dynasties  and  nations  proud, 
The  voice  of  destiny,  imperious  falling 

Amidst  earth's  blindly  herded  crowd, 
To  challenge  men,  to  charge  them  steer 

Upon  the  westering  sun's  gold  path  of  fire, 
To  bid  them  stifle  joy  and  fear 

And  all  save  wandering's  wild  desire! 
Lo,  how  it  rolls  around  the  sphere, 

Thumping  at  all  the  granite  gateways  strong, 
Waking  the  sleeping  cities,  shouting  high 

The   watchword   Progress!    to  the   chosen 

throng : 
The  race  shall  on  though  men  go  forth  and  die ! 


of  tie  &ea 


Intonating  deep  and  hollow 

Cries  the  sea-voice  :  "Spirits,  follow  ! 

Follow  through  the  flying  foam, 

Follow  through  the  roaring  gale, 
Waste  of  tide  shall  be  your  home, 

Warring  blasts  shall  swell  your  sail  !" 

Down  the  Nile  the  stirring  summons  swept  from 

off  the  inland  sea 
To  the  sphinx  upon  the  desert  brooding  over 

Ptolemy. 

Greece  was  roused  as,  wave  on  wave, 
Th'  yEgean  hurled  its  challenge  brave. 
Round  the  margent,  fearful  crept 
Galleys  ere  the  deep  they  swept. 
Triremes  hungering  for  fight 
Bore  her  sons  in  armor  bright, 
Coursing  through  the  mid-most  sea 
To  plant  their  seed  on  Sicily. 
Stout  Ulysses,  god  impelled, 
Sea  enchantments  weird  beheld,  — 
Circe's  isle  and  Cyclops*  strand, 


lintiocation  to  UK  &ca 


Shadows  of  Cimmerian  land ! 
Carthage  heard  the  voice  of  Fate 
Pealing  through  the  pillared  gate 
Heracles'  grim  hand  upreared, 
Heard  the  parl  of  waves  and  steered 
Where  the  Mediterranean  roars 
Round  Scylla's  rock  to  Lybian  shores. 
And  out  of  Hiflheim's  wild  mist  spake  Hel 

To   Norsemen   in   their   gloomy   northland 

fiords, 
Thundering  with  Thor  a  runic  ocean  spell 

That  made   sea  thralls   of  mighty  Viking 

lords. 
In  beaked  shells  they  tossed  and  strained, 

Their  shields  they  ranged  against  the  waves, 
And  far  drear  coasts,  storm-swept,  they  gained 

For  Viking  bouts  and  unwept  graves. 

Full  many  vot'ries  did  the  blue  deep  gain, 
Thrilling,  with  elate,  exultant  strain, 
Hearts  of  Holland,  Britain,  Spain! 
But  men  sailed  the  coast  anear 

3] 


feonpf  of  tje 


Till  the  Seer  dared  to  steer 

Far  across  the  Vast  Unknown. 

Aye,  when  Columbus  plowed  those  waters  lone 

With  unfamiliar  keels,  when  hungry  eyes 

Beheld  the  vision  under  alien  skies, 

When  in  his  course  the  New  World  dimly  reared 

Proud  battlements  of  green,  when  there  appeared 

Strange  welcoming  people  past  the  waste  of  sea, 

Ah  then  the  tide  gave  up  its  mystery, 

Then  Europe  tasted  the  forbidden  fruit; 

Henceforth  should  nations  vie  in  its  pursuit, 

Seeking  through  storms  amain  on  trackless  seas 

The  golden  harvest  of  th'  Hesperides, 

Seeking  eternal  youth's  restoring  well, 

And  El  Dorado  !     Many  a  caravel 

Set  forth  on  such  romantic  enterprise, 

Once  the  Great  Captain  had  unsealed  men's  eyes  ! 

Heir  of  Castile  and  Aragon,  proud  Spain! 

Thy  venturous  galleons,  peerless,  swept  the  main, 

Thy  high  prows  broke  mysterious  storm-churned 

seas 
That  crashed  on  shores  at  the  antipodes, 

[4 


ftn  Invocation  to  tftr  &t  a 


And  argosies  took  wing  to  fetch  thee  gold 
When  high  emprise  had  made  thy  seamen  bold. 
Fair  Venice,  doge-swayed  Adriatic  mart, 
Erst  queen  of  seas  and  citadel  of  art, 
Had  lost  the  salt  tide's  empery,  and  passed 
To  thee,  bold  Spain,  the  art  to  court  the  blast ! 
And  thou  didst  let  it  waft  thee  at  its  will 
O'er  waves  that  jousted  with  thee,  matched  in 

skill. 
Magellan  steered  his  caravels  afar 

O'er  chartless  waters,  south  until  the  keen 
Antarctic  tempests  raved  and  every  star 

Was  veiled  in  storm-mist.     In  such  wild  de 
mesne 
He  watched  grim  winter  swathe  a  dreary  shore 

Where  roamed  the  giant  Patagonian. 
At  burst  of  spring  his  eager  vessels  bore 

Adown  the  rock-ribbed  coast  of  fear,  where 

man 

Ne'er  sailed  before,  past  beetling  walls  of  stone, 
Through    straits    where    beacons    glimmed    on 
strands  unknown, 

5] 


of  tfjc 


On  midst  the  yawning  pass  until  they  rolled 
O'er  vast  Pacific  swells,  and  every  bold 
Storm-seasoned  seaman  gave  the  Virgin  praise! 
They  sailed  that  leagueless  sea  uncounted  days, 
Leaving  the  albatross  far-ranging,  lone; 
They  starved,  a  ghastly  crew,  with  curse  and 

moan! 

Till,  chancing  on  the  isles  that  flank  Cathay, 
Ycleped  for  Philip  that  auspicious  day, 
Magellan,  in  untoward  conflict,  fell. 
Sadly  to  Spain  coursed  on  his  fleet  to  tell 
His  triumph  and  his  doom  !   his  flag  unfurled, 
The  first  to  float  victorious  round  the  world! 

The  Britains  heard  the  deep's  wild  anthem,  blown 
From  bleak  horizons  ;  heard  the  Triton  tone 
Of  breathed  conchs  from  o'er  the  ocean  vast, 
And  followed  mermaid  visions  shimmering  past, 
Cresting  the  tossing  brine,  unplowed  before, 
Toward  haunts  remote  on  far  Columbian  shore. 
Raleigh  and  Frobisher  pushed  back  the  veil 
Of  New  World  mystery,  while  one  bold  sail 

[6 


Jinbocation  to  tfjr  &ea 


Winged  on  Magellan's  course  and  in  the  wake 
Of  lone  Pacific  galleons.     Francis  Drake, 
The  lustiest  buccaneer  that  swept  the  main, 
Plundering    the    South    Sea    treasure-ships    of 

Spain, 

Ranged  o'er  the  western  wilderness  of  blue 
To  filch  Potosi's  ingots  from  Peru ; 
Then  northward  scaped  by  unfrequented  way, 
And  tarried  lone  in  Californian  bay. 
Still  westward  to  the  isles  of  spice  he  steered, 
Still  on  round  Afric  cape  toward  England  veered, 
Anchoring  his  globe-swept  barque  in  Plymouth 

bight, 
And  seeking  his  proud  queen  who  dubbed  him 

knight. 

In  those  rare  days  of  high  romance  and  song 
Elizabeth  overwatched,  Spain's  Philip  sent 

Th'  Invincible  Armada's  galleon  throng 
To  battle  with  the  impious  Protestant. 

The  Inquisition's  fleet  past  Plymouth  swung, 
A  royal  crescent  of  uncounted  sail, 

7] 


&  OUanum  r's  &onffg  of  t&e  fee  a 

While   round   about  them   Drake   and   Howard 

hung, 

And  Frobisher's  tried  guns  poured  leaden  hail. 
A  week's  mad  strife  left  Philip's  peerless  fleet 
Scattered  and  crippled,  seeking  vain  retreat. 
The  British  Sea  Dogs  held  the  Channel  way; 
For  Spain's  Armada,  fleeting  in  dismay, 
The  North  Sea's  dreary  course  alone  availed, 
But  loud  and  menacing  the  tempest  wailed, 
Hurtling  the  galleons  to  heartless  doom 
Upon  the  cruel  Orkney's  strand  of  gloom. 
Ten  thousand  corpses  lined  that  fearful  coast, 
A  charnel  for  the  stricken  Spanish  host. 

Ah,  never  more  upon  the  seas  shall  ride 

A  new  Armada,  never  more  the  tide 

Shall  bear  again  so  proud  a  fleet  from  Spain, 

With  blazoned  banners  sailing  forth  in  vain! 

The    northern    race   through    struggle    groweth 

strong, 

And,  be  it  right  or  be  it  wrong,  . 

Their  seed  shall  people  the  wide  sphere  with  life, 

[8 


Sin  Invocation  to  tfjr 


Their  ships  shall  battle  with  all  distant  seas, 
Their  fleets  shall  harbor  in  the  world's  wide 

leas, 

Their  hearts  shall  grapple  with  all  human  strife. 
They  shall  crowd,  inch  by  inch,  upon  the  pole 
Where  hoar  floes  grind  amain  with  brutal 

might, 
Through   tropic  hurricanes   their  barques   shall 

roll, 

Through  storm  and  darkness  shall  they  bear 
the  light. 

O  mighty  Mother  Ocean, 
Hast  thou  known  such  blind  devotion 
Before,  as  this?     Have  human  annals  shown 
Such  loyalty  to  thee  ?    Thy  storms  have  blown 
A  nation  to  all  shores;  its  sons  have  grown 
Strong  on  the  soil  wherever  they  did  cling. 
Cities  have  risen  high,  and  there  did  spring 
Forests  of  masts  in  foreign  ports  afar; 
Shall  they  not  all  thy  gates  of  fear  unbar  ? 
They  have  defied  thy  calms   and  storms  with 
steam, 


'3  feongsi  of  tljr  &ra 


Their  steel  leviathans  through  tempests  lash  ; 
Armored  in  ice  midst  wintry  gales  they  gleam, 

Sweeping  triumphant  through  the  waves  that 

crash  ; 

For  they  have  mastered  thee, 
O  mighty  Mother  Sea! 
Beaconed  thy  shores  where  fierce  winds  wildest 

blow, 

Bridled  thy  foaming  waves  and  steered  till,  lo  ! 
Ultima  Thule  breaks  upon  the  view, 
For  steel  and  steam  can  conquer  and  subdue  ! 

Invincible  today  the  Saxons  ride, 
The  masters  of  all  highways  on  the  tide 
Since  Dewey  thundered  at  Manila's  gate 
And  Europe  heard  the  echoing  guns  of  fate. 
The  empire  of  the  West  its  course  has  bent 
O'er  sea  and  shore  and  mighty  continent, 
And  on  across  the  ocean  zone  of  day 
Unto  the  hoary  gateway  of  Cathay. 
Hence  shall  the  empire  of  the  sea  be  here, 
Where  Russia's  huge  bulk  darkly  lowers  near, 

[10 


&n  Invocation  to  tfjc 


While  Saxon  impulse  masters  with  its  skill 
The  vast  Pacific.     That  insistent  will 
That  makes  for  progress,  dominating,  brave, 
Shall  vitalize  the  waste,  and  mar — or  save! 

Thou  hast  taught  strength  unto  this  favored  race, 

O  sea,  and  courage  and  endurance  tried; 
Now  grant  them  the  one  priceless  gift  of  grace, 

And  free  them  from  the  deadly  sin  of  pride ! 
Croon  them  a  grand  old  love-song,  mother  sea, 
Teach  them  that  love  alone  is  empery, 
That  fate  at  last  defies  the  mailed  hand, 
That  only  what  the  heart  calls  Right  can  stand ! 
Let  them  unite  for  peace  about  the  sphere, 
Let  them  unite  for  justice,  let  them  hear 
The  still  small  voice  above  thy  call  immane 
Of  passion  and  of  power ;  let  them  gain 
That  subtler  conquest  of  the  heart  of  man 
Which  makes  for  God's  great  undeveloped  plan! 
Sing  this,  O  sea,  more  clearly  than  of  yore! 
Shout  thy  glad  paean  round   each   rock-bound 
shore ! 


of 


Let  England  hear  it,  let  thy  mighty  prayer 
Roll  to  America  and  rouse  an  answer  there  ! 
O  may  the  vast  Pacific's  boundless  deep 
In  choir  responsive  round  the  Orient  sweep, 
Bearing  glad  tidings  to  the  Austral  coast, 
Cheering  Cathay  and  all  her  gloomy  host. 

The  Saxon  genius,  cradled  by  the  sea, 
Has  grappled  now  with  human  destiny, 
The  Saxon  spirit,  resolute  and  strong, 
Shall  stand  united  'gainst  the  hosts  of  wrong, 
Shall  fight  for  liberty,  shall  toil  for  peace, 
Till  lo,  the  turmoils  of  the  nations  cease  ! 
England,  America,  join  hands  today, 
Cast  to  the  winds  all  discord,  nor  delay 
The  triumph  of  thy  union!     This  the  cry 
The  globe-engirdling  sea  has  voiced  high! 
This  the  last  plea  to  man  hoar  ocean  makes, 

The  last  appeal  beyond  the  whorl  of  fate  ! 
The  thunder  of  its  stirring  challenge  shakes 

The  nations  while  they  hesitate  and  wait. 
Await  no  more  but  act  —  and  for  the  right  ! 

[12 


Knbocatton  to  tfjc 


Peace,  justice,  liberty,  are  aye  in  sight! 

Stand  heart  to  heart,  O  Saxons !     Fondly  stand ! 

Yours  is  the  sea,  and  so  shall  be  the  land 

If  ye  but  deal  with  it  as  right  decrees, 

Harkening  to  every  whisper  of  the  breeze 

Of  destiny  that  murmurs  liberty ! 

If  this  may  be, 

Ah  then  shall  follow  such  a  century 

As  poets  build  of  song  without  avail, 
Or  prophets  from  their  Sinais  vainly  see, 

A  century  that  Christ  would  come  to  hail 
Out  of  the  gloom  of  far  Gethsemane! 


UHanfcmt'0  Songs  at  ttjr 


AN  OCEAN  LULLABY. 

Our  ship  is  a  cradle  on  ocean's  blue  billow ; 
Rest,  little  spirit,  your  head  on  your  pillow! 
Dream  of  the  dolphin  that  leaps  from  the  water. 
Dream  of  the  flying-fish,  dear  little  daughter ; 
Dream  of  the  tropic-bird,  lone  in  his  flight, — 
Where  is  he  sleeping,  I  wonder,  tonight? 
Dark  is  the  water  with  white  crests  of  foam ; 
Sleep,  little  mermaid,  the  sea  is  your  home ! 
Stars  in  the  heavens  are  twinkling  past  number ; 
Waters  are  whispering  slumber,  love,  slumber ; 
Waves  are  a-murmuring  sleep,  dearest,  sleep! — 
And  the  little  one  slumbers  in  peace  on  the  deep. 
Sing  away  wavelets  and  sigh  away  low, 
Winds  of  the  tropics  about  us  may  blow ; 
Baby  is  sleeping  and  mother  is  singing 
And  the  peace  of  the  evening  about  us  is  winging. 
Sleep,  little  mermaid,  as  onward  we  roam, 
The  ship  is  your  cradle,  the  sea  is  your  home. 


[14 


ft  flfllanbf rrr*0  feonatf  of  tfjr  &ta 


A  SONG  OF  BERING  SEA. 

The  wolf- wind  howls  from  the.  tundra  cold, 
Nu  da,  dusha  Marya,  pray  for  me ! 

The  ice  pack  grinds  round  the  Pribilofs  bold 
As  we  steer  our  kotch  for  the  open  sea. 

A  mug  of  kvass  to  my  love  I  quaff, 

Nu  da,  dusha  Marya,  th'  sky  is  black! 

The  big  red-beaked  epatkas  laugh, 

And  the  arres  cackle  round  Unimak! 

Here  Glottoff  sailed  with  Drusenin, 

Nu  da,  dusha  Marya,  the  snow-mists  whirl 
Where  the  Aleut  rolls  in  his  boat  of  skin! 

But  my  heart  is  warmed  by  my  Ayan  girl ! 


Si  aoiandmt'g  feonotf  ot 


PULL  THE  LINE  HOME. 

The  refrain  of  this  is  adapted  from  the  well-known  chanty,  "  Blow 
the  Man  Down." 

O  we'll  pull  the  line  home,  bullies,  pull  the  line 

home, 

Way,  hey,  pull  the  line  home, 
From   Frisco  across  the  wide  ocean  we  roam, 
Give  us  some  time  to  pull  the  line  home. 

It  was  near  Yokohama  we  struck  a  typhoon ; 
The  royal  sheets  went  by  the  board  mighty  soon, 
The  sails  flapped  to  shreds  as  we  bent  to  the  gale, 
While  the  skipper  called,  "Lively,  boys,  clew  the 
main-sail !" 

O  we'll  pull  the  line  home,  bullies,  pull  the  line 

home, 
Give  us  some  time  to  pull  the  line  home. 

We  wallowed  around  in  the  trough  of  the  sea, 
The  waves  slashed  about  us,  and  dripping  were 
we;  [16 


Pull  t&e  Jiim 


One  slammed  full  upon  us  with  terrible  thump, 
And  the  mate  shouted  loud,  " Starboard  watch  to 
the  pump  1" 

O  we'll  pull  the  line  home,  bullies,  pull  the  line 

home. 
Give  us  some  time  to  pull  the  line  home. 

We  pumped  with  a  will,  sir,  not  one  of  us  quit 
Tho'  sheet-chains  were  snapped  and  the  fore-mast 

was  split; 

When  the  typhoon  was  on  us  we  stood  it  like  men, 
But  we'll  not  go  to  sea,  bullies,  will  we  again ! 

O  well  pull  the  line  home,  bullies,  pull  and  way 

hey! 
Belay  there,  you  lubbers,  belay  there!    Belay! 


ot  t!)t 


STORM    ALONG.* 

Storm  Along  was  a  good  old  man, 

Aye,  aye,  aye,  Mr.  Storm  Along! 

His  ship  upon  the  shoals  he  ran, 

And  the  wind  sang  loud  his  funeral  song, — 

Aye,  aye,  aye,  Mr.  Storm  Along! 

All  night  the  good  ship  pounded  there; 
The  wild  seas  swept  the  rigging  bare, 
The  rude  rocks  pierced  her  starboard  beam, 
The  waters  rushed  thro'  many  a  seam, — 
Aye,  aye,  aye,  Mr.  Storm  Along! 

"We're  lost !"  the  skipper  cried.     "Avast !" 
No  boat  could  live  in  such  a  blast. 
The  night  was  wild,  the  seas  leaped  high, 
And  the  wind  rushed  out  of  an  inky  sky. 
Aye,  aye,  aye,  Mr.  Storm  Along! 


*  "Aye,  aye,  aye,  Mr.  Storm  Along"  is  a  favorite  deep-water  chanty. 
The  sailors  improvise  many  of  the  verses,  making  them  refer  to  the 
incidents  of  the  voyage.  The  song  as  here  given  is  original  save  for 
the  refrain. 

[18 


Songg  ot 


When  morning  broke  and  the  red  sun  rose, 
A  black  hulk  told  of  the  sailors'  woes  ; 
For  the  waves  swept  over  it  full  and  free, 
And  it  rolled  like  a  coffin  down  into  the  sea,  — 
Aye,  aye,  aye,  Mr.  Storm  Along! 

ROUGH  WEATHER  CHANTY. 

With  a  brace  and  a  tug  and  a  haul  away  ho, 

With  a  shout  and  a  song  together, 
We  pull  on  the  halyards  and  up  the  sails  go 

In  double-reefed  main-top-s'l  weather. 

CHORUS. 
For  it's  sing  and  be  jolly  boys,  let  the  winds  blow, 

We'll  not  lose  a  stick  or  a  patch  of  a  sail, 
And  don't  you  forget  it,  there's  one  trick  we  know, 

And  that's  how  to  sing  in  the  teeth  of  a  gale  ! 

Salt  horse  and  dry  biscuit  is  very  good  fare, 

But  a  can  of  good  rum  is  better, 
So  plunge  along,  lunge  along,  only  take  care 

Those  top-s'ls  don't  get  any  wetter. 


ot  tje 


CHORUS. 

For  it's  sing  and  be  jolly  boys,  let  the  winds  blow, 
We'll  not  lose  a  stick  or  a  patch  of  a  sail, 

And  don't  you  forget  it,  there's  one  trick  we  know, 
And  that's  how  to  sing  in  the  teeth  of  a  gale ! 


CLEANING   SHIP. 

Down  on  your  knees,  boys,  holy-stone  the  decks, 
Rub  'em  down,  scrub  'em  down,  stiffen  out  your 
necks, 

For  we're  gettin'  near  t'  home,,  lads,  gettin'  near 

t'  home, 
With  a  good  stiff  breeze  and  a  wake  o'  shining 

foam. 

Up  on  th'  masts,  boys,  scrape  'em  white  an'  clean, 
Tar  th'  ropes  an'  paint  th'  rails  an'  stripe  her  sides 
with  green, 

For  we're  gettin'  near  t'  home,  lads,  gettin'  near 

t'  home, 
With  a  good  stiff  breeze  an'  a  wake  o'  shining 

foam !  [20 


Ofllandmt'g  &ono#  of  tfie 


JACK  ON  SHORE. 

O  the  sailor's  home  is  the  ocean  blue, 
Heigh  ho  for  the  storm  on  the  raging  sea ! 

And  the  fun  of  the  shore  he'll  sadly  rue 

As  he  clambers  aloft  when  the  winds  blow  free ; 

CHORUS. 
For  it's  whisky  and  rum  all  day,  my  boys, 

It's  brandy  and  gin  all  night ; 
But  whoever  you  be,  your  jolly  good  spree 

Must  end  with  the  morning  light. 

Beware,  beware  of  the  boarding-house  man 
(There  are  sharks  a-shore  as  well  as  at  sea) 

He'll  get  all  you  have,  and  more  if  he  can, 
And  ship  you  to  China  before  you  are  free ; 

CHORUS. 

For  it's  whisky  and  rum  all  day,  me  boys, 
It's  brandy  and  gin  all  night ; 

21] 


ot 


But  whoever  you  be,  your  jolly  good  spree 
Must  end  with  the  morning  light. 

Did  you  ever  get  shanghaied  on  some  dark  street 
With  a  whack  on  the  head  from  a  rubber  club, 

And  wake  in  your  berth  stowed  away  so  neat 
In  the  f  o'k'sl-head  of  a  leaking  tub  ? 

CHORUS. 
For  it's  whisky  and  rum  all  day,  me  boys, 

It's  brandy  and  gin  all  night  ; 
But  whoever  you  be,  your  jolly  good  spree 

Must  end  with  the  morning  light. 


[22 


ot 


HOMEWARD   HO. 

Pile  on  the  sail,  skipper, 
Let  the  breezes  blow; 

Ten  knots,  twelve  knots, — 
That's  the  way  to  go! 

O !  rattle  out  your  reef  lines, 
Loosen  all  your  clews; 

Haul  upon  the  halyards 
For  we'll  never,  never,  lose! 

The  Viking  is  a  clipper,  stanch, 
So  spread  aloft  your  sail! 

Set  the  royals,  fore  and  main, — 
We'll  lean  before  the  gale ! 

O !   rattle  out  your  reef  lines, 
Loosen  all  your  clews; 

Haul  upon  the  halyards 
For  we'll  never,  never,  lose! 

23] 


i  uaiatrtmt'g  fe>0no#  of  tje  feea 

Set  the  stun'sl  booms,  boys, 

Bend  the  stun'sls  fast ; 
"Let  them  flap  until  they  fill 

And  belly  to  the  blast! 

O !  rattle  out  your  reef  lines, 

Loosen  all  your  clews ; 
Haul  upon  the  halyards 

For  we'll  never,  never,  lose! 

Betsy  is  the  bonny  girl 

I  long  again  to  see, — 
Lash  ahead,  slash  ahead, 

Tumble  through  the  sea! 

O !  rattle  out  your  reef  lines, 

Loosen  all  your  clews ; 
Haul  upon  the  halyards 

For  we'll  never,  never,  lose! 


[24 


ananfteter'0  feongs  of  tfy  fee  a 


DOWN  IN  THE  DOLDRUMS  DOWN. 

O  a  crusty  Yankee  skipper 
Sailed  a  crack  three-skysail  clipper, 
Trim  as  any  ship  at  sea; 
Rakish  rigged  and  fast  was  she! 

Down,  down  in  the  doldrums  doivn! 

He  had  tacked  around  the  Horn 
Under  topsa'ls  split  and  torn ; 
Through  the  trades  he  scudded  fast, 
But  he  came  to  grief  at  last, 

Down,  down  in  the  doldrums  down! 

It  was  hot  beneath  the  sun, 

Melted  pitch  began  to  run, 

And  the  decks  they  scorched  your  feet 

In  the  sun's  infernal  heat, 

Down,  down  in  the  doldrums  down! 

There  were  clouds  of  burnished  brass 
O'er  the  heaving  sea  of  glass, 

25] 


Si  faHanorrer'0  ^ongs  of 


While  with  groaning  and  with  creaking 
Lurched  the  clipper,  strained  and  leaking, 

Down,  down  in  the  doldrums  down! 

Off  the  port  bow  hung  a  squall  — 
"Down  your  jib  and  stays'ls  haul! 
Skys'l  halyards  now  !    Stand  by  ! 
Lower  your  fore  and  mizzen  sky!" 

Down,  down  in  the  doldrums  down! 

Off  to  wind'ard  hangs  the  cloud, 
Claps  of  thunder  rattle  loud; 
Nearer  sweeps  the  black  commotion, 
Churning  frothy-white  the  ocean! 

Down,  down  in  the  doldrums  down! 

Whew,  but  what  a  smashing  gale! 
"Call  all  hands  to  shorten  sail  ! 
Brace  the  yards  !    We've  got  to  tack  ! 
Quick  or  we'll  be  caught  aback!" 

Down,  down  in  the  doldrums  down! 

[26 


SDoton,  2Doton  in  tfir  2Doldtum0  SDoton 

O  the  lightning  has  no  pity, 
And  the  wind  it  pipes  a  ditty 
As  it  rips  her  sails  to  tatters, 
While  the  rain  upon  her  clatters, 

Down,  down  in  the  doldrums  down! 

How  she  lurched  and  canted  over! 
Decks  awash,  the  wild  wind  drove  her. 
Crack !   her  mizzen  topmast  crashed, 
While  the  waves  about  her  lathed, 

Down,  down  in  the  doldrums  down! 

Loud  that  crusty  skipper  cursed 
When  the  squall  had  done  its  worst ! 
Roundly  at  his  crew  he  swore, 
Stranded  on  a  coral  shore! 

Down,  down  in  the  doldrums  down! 


27] 


of 


BLACK  SAILORS'  CHANTY. 

Yo  ho,  ma  hahties,  da's  a  hurricane  a-brewin', 
Fo'  de  cook  he  hasn't  nuffin  fo'  de  sailah-men 

a-stewin', — 
He  am  skulkin'  in  his  bunk,  am  dat  niggah  of  a 

cook, 
An'  his  chaowdah  'm  in  de  ocean  while  de  pot  am 

on  de  hook. 

Yo  can  chaw  a  chunk  o'  hahd-tack  mos'  as  tendah 

as  a  brick, 
But  d'aint  no  smokin'  possum  when  de  cook  am 

lyin'  sick. 

Ah  remembah  in  de  cane-fiel'  we  hed  pone-cakes 
eb'ry  day; 

Slack  yo  line  a  bit  ma  hahties ! — pull  away !  pull 
away! 

An'  Ah  'low  Ah'm  feelin'  homesick,  jes'  t'  men 
tion  ob  ma  honey, — 

[28 


'  Cljantp 


She's  a  libbin'  at  de  cabin  an'  she's  out  o'  clo'es 

an  money. 
While  we  chaw  a  chunk  o'  hahd-tack  mos'  as 

tendah  as  a  brick, 
But  d'aint  no  smokin'  possum  while  de  cook  am 

lyin'  sick. 

O  ma  po'  neglected  Liza  an'  her  piccaninny  Jo, 
Ah's  ben  roamin'  sence  Ah  left  her  case  Ah 

wanted  fo'  to  go! 
Ah's  ben  hustlin'  roun'  de  islands,  navigatin'  all 

de  sea, 
While  ma  honey  specs  a  hungry  shark  done  stuff 

hisself  wid  me. 

While  we  chaw  a  chunk  o'  hahd-tack  mos'  as 

tendah  as  a  brick, 
But  d'aint  no  smokin'  possum  while  de  cook  am 

lyin'  sick. 


29] 


flfllan&tro'0  feonotf  of  t&e  feea 


HAUL  AWAY  JOE. 

O  Oi  wuz  a  loafin'  lubber  but  bedad  I  learned  to 

wurrk 
Whin  Oi  loighted  out  o'  County  Corrk  along  wid 

Paddy  Burrke. 
We  stowed  abarrd  a  coaster  an'  her  skipper  wuz 

a  brick ; 
Begorrah  if  yez  didn't  moind,  he'd  boost  yez  wid 

a  kick! 

Away,  had  away,  haal  away  Joe! 

Th'  pigs  wuz  lane  in  County  Corrk,  th'  men  all 

starrved  on  taties, 
But  Oi  shipped  upon  a  Yankee  barrk,  and  better, 

faith,  me  fate  is! 
Och  Oi  hed  an  Irish  darlint,  but  she  ghrew  so  fat 

an*  lazy 
Thet  Oi  bounced  her  fur  a  Yankee  gurrl,  an' 

surre  but  she's  a  daisy! 

Aivay,  haal  away,  haal  away  Joe! 

[30 


fltoap  3or 


O  since  Oi  lift  auld  Ireland  Oi've  poaked  thro' 

miny  plaices, 
Oi've  wurrked  me  way,  Oi've  arrned  me  pay  at 

haalin'  shates  an'  braces; 
On  farrin'  shorres  Oi've  sot  me  oye  on  gurrls  iv 

iv'ry  nashin, 
Me  Yankee  gurrl  hes  ne'er  a  mate  throughoat  th' 

woid  creashin. 

A  way,  had  away,  haal  away  Joe! 


of 


SOUTH  AUSTRALIA. 

Our  bark  for  South  Australia  sails 

And  on  we  ride  through  trades  and  gales ; 

Heave  away,  haul  away! 

In  South  Australia  I  was  reared, 
And  in  its  bush  I  grew  my  beard ; 
Heave  away,  haul  away! 

I  love  its  horses  and  its  men, 
I  love  its  wattles  in  the  glen ; 
Heave  away,  haul  away! 

I've  roamed  through  gum-trees'  endless  shade, 
I've  herded  sheep  from  glade  to  glade ; 
Heave  away,  haul  away! 

I've  mined  for  gold,  I've  played  for  gain, 
And  cruised  along  the  Spanish  Main ; 
Heave  away,  haul  away! 

[32 


8u0tralia 


0  South  Australia's  wild  and  free! 

1  had  a  girl,  but  she  jilted  me; 
Heave  away,  haul  away! 

She  stole  my  watch  and  ran  away, 
I'll  meet  my  Kate  again  some  day! 
Heave  away,  haul  away! 

For  we're  bound  for  South  Australia's  shore 
And  Kate  will  greet  me  as  of  yore, 
Heave  away,  haul  away! 


33] 


ft  ftQIantJf  rer'd  feonotf  of  tje  &ea 


MY  JENNIE  OF  KATOOMBA. 

O  my  rosy  laughing  Jennie,  will  you  hie  away 

with  me? 
I've  a  station  in  the  gum-bush  where  the  grass 

will  touch  your  knee ; 
I've  a  thousand  sheep  a-bleeting,  I've  a  cosy  hut 

for  you; 
It  is  lonely  in  the  gum-bush  and  there's  room 

enough  for  two! 

O  the  lyre-birds  are  singing  'neath  the  wattles' 

golden  boughs, 
And  the  distant  doves  are  cooing  in  the  glen 

their  plaintive  vows ; 
How  the  gaudy  parrots  chatter,  while  the  magpies 

sound  their  tune, 
O  I'm  lonely  here  my  Jennie,  but  you'll  make  me 

happy  soon! 

And  your  voice,  my  merry  Jennie,  like  the  Leura's 
silver  fall 

[34 


fflllantimt'0  &ong0  of 


I  shall  hear  about  the  paddocks  answering  when 

e'er  I  call. 
When  the  waratah's  in  blossom  I  am  coming  after 

you, 
For  I'm  lonely  in  the  gum-bush  and  there's  room 

enough  for  two  ! 


THE  SON  OF  A  JACKAROO. 

'E's  a  lazy  sort  o'  feller  an  'e  loafs  araound  all 

day, 
'Sif  th'  diggins  wuz  intended  as  a  kind  o'  place 

ter  play. 
That's  a  sort  o'  way  that  you  an'  me  ud  never  care 

ter  do, 
But  'e's  nothin'  but  an  ordinary  son-of-a-  jackaroo. 

When  th'  fellers  is  a  diggin'  jest  like  wombats 

left  an'  right, 
An'  washin'  aout  th'  gravel  beds  with  all  their 

bloomin'  might, 

35] 


of  tlje 


Jest  ter  fancy  Jim  a  loungin'  there  an'  squintin' 

at  'is  shoe, 
For  'e's  nothin'  but  an  ordinary  son-of-a-  jackaroo. 

'E  can  'andle  cards  an'  counters,  but  'e's  nothin' 

with  a  pick. 
Why,  ter  see  'im  peckin  raound  a  bit  ud  make  a 

feller  sick, 
Till  a  larrikin  came  up  from  taown  an'  beat  'im 

black  an'  blue, 
That  same  good-fer-nothin'  ordinary  son-of-a- 

jackaroo. 

I  say  but  it  wuz  jolly  good  ter  see  th'  begger  run, 
'E  struck  off  like  an  emu  when  th'  larrikin  wuz 

done, 
An'  'e  'ollard  bloody  murder  like  a  screamin' 

cockatoo, 
Did  that  good-fer-nothin'  ordinary  son-of-a-  jack 

aroo! 


[36 


ffifllandmr'g  &>ono#  of 


SONG   OF    THE    SUN-DOWNER. 

O  there's  dust  on  the  road  and  there's  dust  on  me 

back 
And  the  glare  o'  the  sun  makes  me  reel  in  me 

track, 

But  I  work  when  I  may  and  I  beg  when  I  must, 
To  keep  me  poor  body  from  turning  to  dust, — 
Singing  tweedle-dum,  tweedle-dum,  tweedle-dum 

di, 

0  a  happy-go-lucky  gay  fellow  am  I! 

1  carry  me  swag  through  the  bush  all  the  day, 
And  me  billy  to  boil  me  some  tea  by  the  way ; 
When  it  comes  to  a  pinch  I  can  handle  the  sheers, 
Can  strip  off  a  fleece  or  go  riding  for  steers, 
Singing  tweedte-dum,  tweedle-dum,  tweedle-dum 

di, 
What  a  happy-go-lucky  gay  fellow  am  I! 

One  day  a  new  chum  came  a-limping  along 
Like  a  wallaby,  just  as  I  started  me  song. 

37] 


ot  t&e  feta 


He  was  lost  in  the  bush,  so  I  told  him,  "No  fear, 
You  just  follow  me  and  we'll  get  out  o'  here." 
Singing  tweedle-dumt  tweedle-dum,  tweedle-dum 

di, 
What  a  happy-go-lucky  gay  fellow  am  I! 

It  was  night  when  I  got  into  town  with  the  bloke, 
And  then  I  discovered  the  Johnnie  was  broke. 
"But,"  says  I,  "never  mind,  I  can  set  up  the  beer," 
And  says  he,  "I  can  drink  it  then,  never  you 

fear." 
Singing  tweedle-dum,  tweedle-dum,  tweedle-dum 

di, 

What  a  happy-go-lucky  gay  fellow  am  I! 

O  what  is  the  good  of  this  chasing  the  sun, 
Of  tramping  all  summer  and  winter  for  fun? 
But  work  is  so  wearing  a  fellow  must  try 
The  luck  of  the  road  like  a  jolly  magpie,  — 
Singing  tweedle-dum,  tweedle-dum,  tweedle-dum 

di, 

A  happy-go-lucky  gay  fellow  am  I! 

[38 


&  Ofllanbcrcr'si  fejongs  of  tfic 


BALLAD   OF   MINNIE   RAMSAY. 

She's  a  lidy,  is  that  Minnie;   yer  ort  ter  see  'er 

ride! 
A  gipping  'orse  is  naught  t'er,  she  makes  th'  filly 

stride. 
She's  th'  belle  o'  all  th'  salt-bush  an'  there's  not  a 

kangaroo 
In  all  th'  scrub  o'  Queensland  could  outrun  'er 

fair  an'  true. 

She's   an  owful   tender-'arted   girl, — you   fancy 

what  I  mean, 
She's  olways  helpin'  some  poor  bloke  as  if  she 

wuz  the  queen. 
She's  only  ighteen  years  o'  hage,  but  yet,  my  life, 

I  know 
There's  mighty  few  that's  older,  as  got  'er  grit  ter 

show! 

There's  not  a  girl  in  Sydney  taown,  as  owns  a 
'eart  thet's  bigger! 

391 


of 


Why  fancy,  she's  th'  kind,  you  know,  thet  even 

'elps  a  nigger! 
Naow  let  me  tell  yer  what  she  done.    My  word, 

yer  ort  ter  'ear  ! 
You'd  say  thet  Minnie  Ramsay  is  a  lidy  then  —  no 

fear! 

Th'  blacks  wuz  stealing  'orses  an'  cattle  from  th' 

run,  — 
Yer  know  we  squatters  'ave  our  rights  thet  we 

'ave  'ardly  won, 

So  off  we  sent  a  rider  ter  fetch  th'  black  police 
Ter  fight  th'  niggers  black  fer  black  an'  give  us 

squatters  peace. 

Them  niggers  know  th'  bush-land,  they  know  th' 

way  ter  track, 
No  fear,  they  follow  game  as  well  as  any  four- 

foot  pack  ! 
Their  sargeant  wuz  a  white  man;   he  wouldn't 

let  'em  loose 
Till  'e  wired  daown  ter  Brisban'  jest  ter  get  a 

good  excuse. 

[40 


Ballad  of  Finnic  ftamsap 


They  answered  with  a  telegram?   no  fear,  they 

know  th'  game! 
They  jest  sent  back  a  cartridge  box,  so's  not  ter 

be  ter  blame. 
Th'  sargeant  knew  th'  answer  boss ;  like  dingoes 

on  th'  scent 
Th'  bloomin  pack  o'  niggers  thro'  th'  gum-bush 

tangles  went. 

They   camped   along  th'   trail   boss,   they   kept 

a-sneakin'  nigher, 
Till  by  an'  by  they  peered  ahead  an'  saw  th'  glint 

o'  fire. 
They  glided  thro'  th'  gum-bush,  up  close  where 

they  could  see ; 
Th'   tribe   o'   them   wuz   dancin'   there   a   wild 

corroboree. 

Their  bodies  were  all  streaked  with  white  ter 

celebrate  their  revels, — 
You  fancy  haow  they  looked  aout  there,  like 

skeletons  or  devils! 


%  ttliantimr'0  &0ng0  of  tje  &ea 

They  hopped  an'  jumped  an*  frisked  araound, 

they  screamed  like  cockatoos ; 
My  word,  'twas  like  a  pack  o'  fiends  a-goin'  on  a 

booze ! 

Naow  Minnie  wuz  a-ridinj  aout,  an*  didn't  see 

em  go — 
Those  black  police  o'  dingoes,  as  they  sneaked  off 

still  an'  slow; 
But  she  cantered  ter  th'  station  'ouse,  an'  then,  my 

life,  'ow  wild 
She  grew  ter  'ear  thet  they  wuz  off — that  tender- 

'arted  child ! 

She  vowed  she'd  stop  their  bloody  game;   she'd 

never  let  'em  shoot ! 
She  swore  she'd  ride  'em  daown  'erself  an  tell  th' 

blacks  ter  scoot. 
'Ow's  thet  fer  pluck?    She  rode  away  an'  every 

man  wuz  scared ; 
They  wanted  ter  ride  after  'er,  but  not  a  Johnnie 

dared. 


Ballad  of  Sflinnir  Kamsap 


Well  boss,  she  rode  an'  rode  all  day,  an*  never 

stopped  ter  rest, 
She  scared  th'  bower-birds  at  play  beside  their 

Bidden  nest; 
She  brushed  beneath  th'  wattle-trees,  she  crashed 

thro'  shreds  o'  bark, 
Th'  raven  croaked  above  'er,  as  the  brush  grew 

still  an'  dark. 

Then  out  o'  all  thet  blackness,  she  'eared  th'  rifles 

crack, 
My  life,  but  she  wuz  paralyzed!    They're  on  th' 

niggers'  track ! 
She  'card  th'  far-off  yells  o'  fear,  she  'card  th' 

cries  o'  pain, 
An'  then  th'  panka-panka-panka  of  rifles  cracked 

again. 

She  floundered  thro'  th'  darkness,  she  lashed  'er 

'orse  ahead, 
She  came  upon  th'  niggers'  camp,  but  every  soul 

wuz  dead. 

43] 


&  flfllantomt'0  Songs  of  tftc  fera 


The  black  police  'ad  killed  'em  all,  an'  right  an' 

left  they  lay 
A-welterin'  in  pools  o'  gore,  all  smeared  with 

blood  an'  clay. 

It  served  th'  devils  right,  no  daoubt,  fer  stealin' 

cattle  so, 
But  it  did  seem  pretty  tough  ter  kill  the  gins  an 

kids,  yer  know, 
Exterminatin'  all  th'  tribe,  like  rabbits,  rats  er 

mice, — 
It's  a  way  ter  deal  with  niggers  but  it  haint 

exactly  nice. 

Well,  Minnie  looked  araound  th'  camp  until  she 

'card  a  cry, 

A  tiny  squealin'  baby  cheepin'  kind  o'  low  an'  shy. 
There  she  faound  a  gin  a  lyin'  with  th'  kiddie  at 

'er  breast, 
An'  a  bullet  thro'  'er  body,  boss,  but  yer  can  guess 

th'  rest. 


[44 


ballad  of  9pinme 


'E's  a  'ealthy  little  youngster  naow,  th'  last  o'  all 

'is  clan, 
An  Minnie  vows  she'll  stick  ter  'im  until  'e's 

grown  a  man ; 
I  wouldn't  like  a  nigger  raound  ter  call  me  dad 

an'  squall, 
But  if  Minnie  'd  give  me  'alf  a  show,  I'd  take  'er, 

kid  an'  all! 


45] 


'a  &onff0  of 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  KUPE. 

Chronicling  the  discovery  of  New  Zealand  by 
the  Maoris  some  six  hundred  years  ago. 

/  shall  sing  the  story  of  Kupe,  who  fair  Hawaiki 

forsook. 
Who  voyaged  round  the  island  that  Maui  had 

fished  from  the  depths  with  his  hook; 
Who  parted  the  lands  by  his  power;  Kapiti  from 

Mana  he  clave; — 
O  these  are  the  isles  that  remind  me  of  Kupe,  my 

ancestor  brave! 

[Adapted  from  an  old  Maori  song.] 

Lusty  and  lithe  was  Kiipe,  Kupe, 
The  seaman  of  old  Hawaiki ! 
Massive-browed,  with  a  grizzled  beard, 
Featured  was  he  as  a  giant. 
And  men  all  cringed  from  the  look  of  wrath 
That  flashed  from  his  glittering  eyeballs, 
And  shrank  from  the  speech  his  thick  lips  hurled 

[46 


of 


In  the  teeth  of  the  one  he  hated. 
Mighty  and  pitiless  Kupe,  Kupe, 
With  features  patterned  with  moki ! 
Honored  and  feared  by  the  men  of  Hawaiki, 
A  wanderer  famed  through  the  islands ! 

Lord  of  a  thousand  leagues  was  he 

Of  unknown  waters  of  peril. 

Fierce  in  fighting,  and  jealous  to  madness 

In  loving,  was  turbulent  Kupe. 

Envious-eyed  he  looked  on  his  friend, 

His  cousin,  young  Hotu-rapa, 

Coveting  him  his  new-made  bride, 

His  Kura-marotini. 

She  was  a  wild-eyed  witch  of  a  woman, 

Full  of  a  pard-like  grace, 

Full  of  a  longing  for  untried  ways 

In  the  cruel  waste  of  the  world ; 

Consort  fitting  for  Kupe  the  rover 

To  bear  unto  uttermost  isles, 

Fitting  to  mate  with  the  wanderer  wild 

Upon  perilous  far-off  shores. 

47] 


Si  Hflianbmr'g  &on0#  of  tfjr 


"Come,  my  cousin  !"  cried  Kiipe  one  morning, 

"Fish  with  me,  Hotu-rapa; 

Out  on  the  wave-tossed  blue  of  the  sea 

Our  stout  canoe  let  us  paddle  ! 

Come,  for  the  tide  ebbs  out  through  the  pass 

And  birds  fly  low  on  the  water  ; 

Fish  in  plenty  our  hooks  will  fetch 

From  the  hidden  hollows  of  coral." 

So  Kupe,  the  crafty,  and  Hotu-rapa 

Pushed  their  canoe  from  the  shore, 

And  paddled  far  from  the  breaking  surf 

On  the  barrier  reef  that  thundered, 

Paddled  away  on  the  sapphire  sea 

To  a  hidden  shoal  where  they  anchored. 

Down  in  the  shimmering  deeps  they  dropped 

Their  glistening  hooks  of  pearl-shell, 

And  high-browed  dolphin  with  purple  fins 

They  pulled  from  the  caverns  of  ocean. 

Suddenly  Kupe's  line  held  fast 

In  the  bright-hued  branches  of  coral, 

And,  "dive  for  me,  Hotu-rapa,"  he  said, 

"To  loosen  my  line  from  the  bottom  ; 

[48 


Popage  of 


Never  a  hook  had  I  before 

That  brought  such  luck  in  the  fishing!" 

So  Hotu-rapa,  who  thought  no  wrong, 

Plunged  in  the  deep  blue  water, 

Eager  to  help  his  cousin  and  chief 

By  saving  his  fish-hook  precious. 

Just  as  a  whirl  of  bubbles  and  foam 

Marked  where  the  diver  had  vanished, 

Kiipe  severed  the  anchor  line 

And,  seizing  his  well-tried  paddle, 

Urged  his  dancing  canoe  from  the  spot 

And  lashed  through  the  rolling  waters ; 

Laughed  when  Hotu-rapa  called 

Despairing  afar  mid  the  billows ; 

Laughed  and  shouted  derisive  answer, 

Bidding  him  dive  to  the  bottom 

And  dwell  in  the  hungry  shark's  abode, 

Companions  fit  for  a  fisher, — 

Mocked  him  and  cried  that  Kupe  the  sailor 

Would  care  for  his  wild-eyed  woman, 

Laughed  and  left  him  to  battle  alone 

With  the  pitiless  waves  till  he  perished! 

49] 


fl  aaiatttmt'g  &ongg  of  tfie 


Straightway  Kupe  sped  on  to  seek 

Wild  Kura-marotini, 

The  woman  he  chose  for  a  wanderer  bride, 

The  mate  of  the  man  he  had  murdered. 

"And  haste  thee,  woman,"  he  cried  to  her, 

"For  the  winds  of  the  south  are  calling; 

We  sail  tonight  in  your  great  canoe, 

The  well-made  Mata-horua  ; 

And  we  shall  voyage  to  the  ends  of  the  sea 

Where  vengeance  of  man  cannot  follow  !" 

The  woman  he  took  for  bride  made  haste  ; 

They  gathered  their  people  together, 

The  double  canoe  with  high-carved  stern 

They  freighted  with  food  and  plunder, 

Then  pushed  to  sea  and  the  paddles  plied 

In  the  darkness  out  on  the  billows. 

The  great  mat  sail  aloft  was  hung, 

In  the  trade-wind  bellied  and  straining, 

And  they  swept  to  west  till  the  morning  broke, 

When  the  endless  ring  of  the  ocean 

Showed  they  had  scaped  from  the  righteous  wrath 

Of  the  friends  of  the  man  who  was  murdered. 

[50 


of  l\upc 


The  moon  waxed  great  and  waned  to  a  thread 

As  they  measured  the  leagues  of  the  sea, 

And  longed  for  a  sight  of  the  welcome  land 

To  gladden  their  hearts  again. 

"O  where  is  the  bourn  we  are  seeking  in  vain?" 

Cried  Kura-marotini, 

"And  why  grdws  the  sea  so  cold  and  drear, 

O  Kupe,  my  fearless  master?" 

"What!"    quoth  he  to  his  wild-eyed  mate, 

"And  art  thou  awearied  already? 

Far  and  away  are  the  ends  of  the  sea 

Where  the  wrath  of  your  man  cannot  follow. 

List  to  me,  restless  woman  of  mine, 

And  learn  of  the  island  before  us ! 

Knowest  thou  not  of  Maui,  the  god, 

Cast  in  the  tide  at  his  birth, 

Wrapt  in  a  swathe  of  his  mother's  hair 

And  rocked  by  the  waves  on  the  sand  ? 

Seaweed  tangles  about  him  grew, 

And  jelly-fish  clung  to  his  side; 

Birds  and  flies  gan  feed  on  the  child, 

When  the  old  god,  Tama-te-Rangi, 


^>ong0  of  tljr  feta 


Snatching  the  form  from  the  froth  and  foam, 

Uncovered  the  storm-tossed  Maui 

And  hung  him  up  in  his  house  to  warm  — 

A  god  he  had  saved  from  the  sea-mist  ! 

Knowest  thou  not,  O  woman  of  mine, 

How  Maui,  the  wily,  was  fostered, 

Reared  with  his  envious  brethren  four, 

And  how,  when  he  took  them  a-fishing, 

He  drew  from  the  depths  of  the  ocean  an  isle 

That  heaved  with  a  roar  and  a  bubbling, 

Floundering  and  shaking  the  mountains  aloft 

While  Maui  looked  at  it  with  laughter? 

This  is  the  land  we  are  seeking  together, 

My  beautiful  wild-eyed  Kura!" 

"And  how  shall  we  find  these  unknown  shores, 

That  mortal  never  has  sighted  ? 

Alas,  my  Kupe,  we  surely  must  die 

Afar  on  the  endless  ocean  1" 

Then  Kupe  laughed  at  his  wild-eyed  mate 

And  scorned  the  fears  of  the  woman. 

"Listen  again  and  learn,"  he  said, 

"Of  the  wonderful  land  we  are  seeking. 

[5* 


$opaffe  of  l&upr 


Knowest  thou  not  of  thy  stout  ship's  name, 

Of  Mata,  the  old-time  hero, 

And  how  he  was  driven  away  from  home 

On  the  back  of  a  deep-sea  monster  ? 

Hine,  the  goddess,  had  driven  him  hence 

And  followed  him  over  the  water, 

Scourging  him  onward  from  isle  unto  isle 

Astride  of  his  great  sea  creature. 

Forward  he  lashed  through  the  salt  sea  foam 

Till  he  came  to  the  island  of  Maui, 

Where  he  tarried  a  span  as  an  outcast  lone, 

Then  turned  to  the  land  of  his  fathers, 

Bearing  away  the  greenstone  rare 

As  a  gift  to  the  men  of  Hawaiki. 

Kupe  the  sailor  can  find  the  way 

To  the  land  where  Mata  was  banished ; 

Look !  we  follow  yon  roving  star 

That  blazes  low  in  the  southland ; 

Higher  it  rises  as  night  after  night 

It  leads  us  under  its  archway." 

The  wind  blew  cold  as  it  wailed  from  the  south, 
And  the  spray  washed  over  their  prow; 
53] 


ft  Ofilannrrrr'g  ^ong:0  of  tijc  feca 

Food  was  failing  and  death  was  near 
For  all  of  the  dauntless  crew. 
Clouds  fled  over  the  leaden  sea 
And  over  the  hearts  of  all, 
All  save  Kupe  who  watched  the  waves 
And  laughed  at  his  ship-mate's  fears. 

One  night  with  a  hopeless  piercing  shriek 

Rushed  Kura-marotini 

To  Kupe's  side,  her  eyes  ablaze 

With  a  madness  that  springs  from  terror. 

"O  Kupe,  did  ye  not  see  that  form 

Out  over  the  water  gliding? 

He  looked  at  me  as  he  sped  afar 

And  I  saw  his  face  in  the  blackness. 

'Twas  Hotu-rapa  who  wandered  there, 

The  man  ye  slew  in  the  water !" 

"Ha!"  cried  Kupe  aloud  in  glee, 

"  'Tis  a  sign  that  land  is  before  us !" 

And  he  grasped  in  his  arms  the  quivering  form 

Of  Kura-marotini. 

"Alas !"  she  sighed,  "if  the  land  is  near 

Mine  eyes  shall  feast  not  upon  it, 

[54 


of 


For  Hotu-rapa  has  called  me  to  Po! 

I  follow  him  over  the  water/' 

Then  Kupe  touched  with  his  giant  face 

The  burning  cheek  of  the  woman, 

"And  lovest  me  not,  my  wild-eyed  mate  ?" 

He  whispered  to  shivering  Kura. 

She  glared  with  her  wild,  wild  eyes  at  him 

Who  slew  her  mate  in  the  water, 

And  shrank  away  as  from  one  accursed, 

To  wail  alone  in  the  darkness. 

At  dawn  of  day  there  arose  a  cry, 

A  shouting  from  parched  voices, 

Of,  land!   good  land!  of  the  promised  shore, 

The  longed-for  island  of  Maui ! 

And  Kupe  went  to  his  silent  mate 

To  rouse  from  her  trance  the  sleeper,       .,v 

But  her  flesh  was  pale  and  rigid  her  limbs, 

For  death's  hoar  seal  .was  upon  her. 

They  sailed  all  silently  on  to  the  shore, 

And  into  the  waist-deep  water 

Leaped  Kupe  bearing  aloft  in  his  arms 

The  stark,  still  form  of  his  woman. 

55] 


Si  99!ant)mr'0  feongg  of  t&t  &t « 

A   SONG   FOR   LITTLE   MATA. 

O  its  ho  for  Moorea  where  the  coco-palms  grow ! 
Sing  again  of  Moorea  where  the  trade  winds 

blow, 

With  its  peaks  and  crags  that  tower 
Where  the  storms  of  thunder  lower, 
With  its  opal-hued  lagoon 
Where  the  wavelets  sleep  at  noon; 
O  'tis  there  that  little  Mata  watches  every  weary 

hour 
For  the  white  sail  from  Tahiti  coming  soon,  soon, 

soon! 

O  its  ho  for  Moorea  fairest  isle  of  the  sea ! 
And  I'm  dreaming  still  of  Mata  who  is  waiting 

there  for  me, 

With  her  black  hair  wreathed  in  tiere, 
Watching  till  her  eyes  are  weary ; 
From  her  cottage  of  bamboo 
Gazing  o'er  the  waste  of  blue. 
Little  Mata,  I  am  coming  o'er  the  water  to  my 

dearie 
And  upon  the  waves  that  toss  me  I  am  dreaming 

but  of  you  I  [56 


of  tfjr 


LEAVING   HONOLULU. 

O'er  the  taffrail  lean  the  people,  on  the  dock  a 

restless  throng 
Vainly,    with    their    wistful    glances,    seek    the 

moment  to  prolong. 
Flower-girls  are  selling  leis,  fragrant  wreathes 

for  friends  who  part, 
Hark !  a  blast  upon  the  whistle !    'Tis  the  signal 

for  the  start ! 

Loud  above  the  shouting  tumult  rings  the  band, 

"Aloha  Oi!" 
There's  a  sadness  in  its  trumpet  tones  that  speaks 

of  passing  joy; 
"Lower  away  the  for'a'd  gangplank!     Cast  the 

after  hawsers  free!" 
Slowly  glides  the  mighty  steamer  toward  the  reef 

where  frets  the  sea! 

Wave  your  leis,  flutter  kerchiefs,  fondly  call  your 
last  farewells! 

57] 


ft  OZttanlimt'jEf  &ono#  of  t&t  feta 

List,  Hawaii's  tender  anthem   solemn  o'er  the 

water  swells ! 
Now  adieu  to  dark-hued  faces !  Toss  a  kiss  and 

heave  a  sigh ! 
From  the  shore  the  tropic  trade-wind  whispers 

low  a  last,  "good  bye !" 

Through  the  reef  we  seek  the  ocean,  backward 

glancing  to  the  shore ; 
Dearest  friends  and  well-loved  places,  shall  we 

gaze  on  you  no  more  ? 
See  the  purple,  cloud-hung  mountains,  see  the 

beetling  heights  of  green, 
And  the  red  earth  of  the  lowlands  near  the  pale 

lagoon  serene ! 

Diamond  Head  with  shapely  profile  past  the  beach 

of  Waikiki, 
And  Tantalus   and   Punchbowl,   with   eyes  be- 

dimmed  we  see ; 

Fair  Honolulu  nestling  amid  its  groves  of  palm, 
The  fringe  of  shipping  on  the  shore,  so  beautiful, 

so  calm!  [58 


Honolulu 


Aloha,  fair  Oahu,  slowly  paling  o'er  the  tide, 

Your  peaks  may  fade  but  in  my  heart  your  vision 
shall  abide; 

Still  the  flame  of  your  hibiscus,  still  those  wistful 
tropic  eyes 

Shall  enthrall  me  to  your  palm-groves,  shall  en 
dear  your  azure  skies ! 


59] 


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JUL    IS  1935 

y*N     7l9!T.£ft 

•"%CrX""*T*fc      I     T"N 

REG  D  LD 

JAN   3-66-9PM 

LD  21-100m-8,'34 

YA  02636 


